UA Department of Biological Sciences professors Dr. Guy Caldwell and Dr. Kim Caldwel and doctoral student Hanna Kim are co-authors on a new study that provides a molecular explanation for why it is the dopamine neurons, specifically, die in Parkinson’s patients. This work, which was published in the top journal in its field, is an important step forward and highlights a new potential path for drug discovery. Read more about this work in UA News and read the original research […]

Read More from Caldwell Lab Helps Find New Path to Parkinson’s Treatment

An team of researchers including Department of Biological Science’s chair Dr. Janis O’Donnell and recently graduated  students Rami Ajjuri and Matthew Lollar has published a new paper in Biology Letters showing how varying levels of a chemical found in the brain of fruit flies can affect their responses to social interactions. Specifically, the neurotransmitter dopamine, which is also used in humans, contributes to a fly’s response to others in a social group. See popular media articles about this work in CBC Radio […]

Read More from Research by O’Donnell lab sheds light on how neurotransmitters modulate our need for personal space.

An international team including the Department of Biological Science’s Dr. Stanislava’s Chtarbanova has published a new paper in Cell Reports showing a dual role for the brain immune system in neurodegenration and lifespan extension in the model organism Drosophila. Read it at Cell Reports.

Read More from Dr. Chtarbanova’s research on NF-κB Immunity’s impact on neurodegeneration and lifespan published in Cell Reports

Greg Starr has been recognized as the outstanding senior investigator in Physical and Biological Sciences, Mathematics, and Engineering. Greg’s research concerns human effects on global ecosystems and natural resources.

Read More from Greg Starr wins the President’s Faculty Research Award

The crown-of-thorns sea star genome was published in Nature. Read a press release about it in The Australian and BBC News. Link to the paper: Hall, Kocot, and Baughman et al. 2017 Nature doi:10.1038/nature22033.

Read More from Dr. Kocot’s research on crown-of-thorns sea star published in Nature

Two student researchers in Dr. Stevan Marcus’s lab, Elan Strange (M.S. student) and Lacey Kennedy (B.S. student), earned first place awards for their presentations at the 2017 Southeastern Regional Yeast Meeting. Elan earned first place in the graduate student oral presentation category for his talk entitled “The CDP-ethanolamine branch of the Kennedy Pathway plays a critical role in cytoprotective responses to the tumoricidal triterpenoid glycoside avicin G in the fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe”. Sophomore student Lacey Kennedy earned first place […]

Read More from Marcus lab students Elan Strange and Lacey Kennedy earn first place awards for presentations at scientific conference

The research accomplishments of the following students were recognized at the Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Conference on 30 March 2017. Oral presentations 1st place Samuel Stanley Faculty mentors: Kim Caldwell and Guy Caldwell Investigation of dopamine neuron degeneration as a consequence of microbiome-derived bacterial metabolites 3rd place Zain Aryanpour Faculty Mentor: Stevan Marcus Investigating the role of phosphatidylethanolamine and calcium signaling in the cytoprotective responses to the anticancer triterpenoid avicin G in the fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe Honorable mention […]

Read More from Winners of the 2017 Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Conference

Department of Biological Sciences Professor Guy Caldwell has been named University Distinguished Research Professor by the Board of Trustees. Congratulations Guy!

Read More from Prof. Guy Caldwell named Distinguished Research Professor